Any Marvel fans? Because today we're talking about Thor. (spoiler alert)
In the latest movie, when Thor's ex-girlfriend Jane reappears, she possesses the power of Thor. However, every time she wields the weapon, her health is drained and her stage 4 breast cancer worsens. Jane is a symbol of strength and weakness, and is therefore just like the rest of us. Listen to find out more about what it means to be as strong as you are weak...
Any Marvel fans? Because today we're talking about Thor. (spoiler alert)
In the latest movie, when Thor's ex-girlfriend Jane reappears, she possesses the power of Thor. However, every time she wields the weapon, her health is drained and her stage 4 breast cancer worsens. Jane is a symbol of strength and weakness, and is therefore just like the rest of us. Listen to find out more about what it means to be as strong as you are weak...
Hey there and Welcome to Alphabet Soup! This episode is for anyone who feels like they’re battling something greater than they are. Hopefully this episode can offer a new outlook to keep you going! Quick Disclaimer: If you haven’t seen the latest Thor movie that came out earlier this month, this episode does have some plot spoilers, so listen with caution.
Like we talked about in Episode 37, life is a rollercoaster. Ups and downs are unpredictable. But when we’re experiencing the very bottom, it’s hard to see how things could ever get better. We might feel stressed, anxious, or hopeless. So sometimes, we start filling our head with “if” statements to validate our situation. For example, “If only I had more money, then I would be happier.” This isn’t necessarily true. In fact, a 2017 study by Jake Moskowitz and Paul Piff finds that while those with higher income experience many benefits in life, those of lower income experience more emotions of empathy, compassion, and love. Instead, it’s how we adapt to life experiences that influence our happiness the most, and these experiences, both good and bad, affect everyone.
It would be ignorant for me to say that everyone comes into this world with the same advantages. But I think it’s fair to say that no one goes through life without change. We all deal with change, albeit varying degrees of change, so we all may experience feelings of helplessness when life isn’t so great and we’re adapting to that change. But as this next segment about Thor will hopefully show you, even the strongest go through tough situations.
If you aren’t into Marvel movies, here’s a little summary. Thor is a hammer-wielding character based on the Norse god of lightning and thunder. Thor’s power comes from his hammer, called Mjolnir, which can only be wielded by a few individuals who the hammer deems worthy. It’s strongly established in the first few movies that Thor’s hammer is a huge part of his identity, so when his hammer is shattered in Thor: Ragnarök by the Goddess of Death, you can imagine how crushed he is. Thankfully, our hero gets back on his feet and soon finds a new weapon to continue his fight against villains, and the remnants of his hammer are put in a display case in his hometown. Now we’re caught up.
In the latest movie, Thor: Love and Thunder, Thor is reunited with his ex-girlfriend, Jane Foster, one of the world’s leading astrophysicists. When the two star-crossed lovers meet in the new movie, Thor is shocked by her transformation. Jane is no longer just an extremely smart and powerful woman, because now she also possesses the power of Thor, and she is wielding Mjolnir, Thor’s ex weapon, which has pieced itself together with magic. Wow, imagine being confronted by not one but two exes simultaneously, that might be a real low blow for some of us. Fortunately, although Thor’s confused at first, he quickly sees Jane not as a competitor but as a teammate, and together they fight to save the other gods from a villain who wants to abolish them.
Here's the catch: Jane has stage 4 breast cancer. And we soon realize that every time she wields the hammer, her health is drained. Jane represents someone who is as weak as she is strong. She’s a god who can use lightning to strike down shadow monsters, but she’s also a human battling chronic illness. I feel like a lot of us can relate to Jane. She’s experienced superhuman strength, but her reality never abandons her, and her weaknesses persist. What we can learn from her, is that her weaknesses never stop her from chasing after her life’s purpose. She never once gives up, and because of that she is the Mighty Thor.
Before we continue, today’s bit is a very important piece of information. The US national suicide lifeline has changed from its 11-digit number to the 3-digit number 988. That’s 988. The lifeline is available 24 hours a day for anyone in a suicidal crisis or emotional distress. The lifeline connects to a mental health professional. Please help spread the word about the change so that more people are kept safe!
Back to Thor.
While we might not get chosen by a magic hammer, we can all find things in life that are worth fighting for. For Jane it was astrophysics and then protecting the gods. For us it could be serving others, or creating something, or loving your family, the list is endless! If you’re struggling to find your life purpose, check out Episode 31. Growth Mindset featuring Jeremy Godwin. With a growth mindset we are willing to learn and act on new ideas, therefore we can experience new things that might help us discover our purpose! Episode 31 has a lot more tips on that, so I recommend it.
The bottom line is, when we are facing challenges that seem larger than life, remember that it’s weakness you draw from to create strength.
That’s it for today’s episode, I hope you found it interesting and helpful. Please share the show with someone who you think needs to hear episodes like this, feel free to leave a rating and follow the show so you don’t miss out on the next episode! This is your host, Neva Hidajat, and thanks for listening to Alphabet Soup.